Old, Large Piles of Dirt OR Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut, Sometimes You Don't

First off, how many of you immediately have a 20 year old jingle stuck in your head because of that title?

If you raised your hand, then I salute you, fellow Children of the 80s. Go enjoy the appropriately-titled candy bar that's only coconut and chocolate.

For the rest of you: Iiiiiiittt's History Time!

And not the history time filled with, "In 1066 there was a battle that was very important to the British people, especially those IN the battle who suddenly found a bunch of arrows and swords headed their way..."

Nah, this is more of the history time with, "Here's an old thing. We're not sure WHY this old thing was made, but man, is it old, and man, was it ever made!"

Because today we look at the 2,000+ year old mounds of central Indiana.

Zounds! It's some Mounds!

I know it's a little hard to see from that angle, but that is a large mound a couple hundred feet in diameter and a few thousand years old.

But wait! There's more! (More mounds, that is.)

Here's the model of the mounds they've set up in the visitor center:

No, it's not a model for a golf course.
...Though now we have a new theory for their purpose!

By the way, that's a wall-sized model, showing the relationship of the main mound (called, creatively, the Great Mound) and the three mounds around it.

But what does it MEAN?!? Quick, to the informative plaque!

Informative!
...Well, sort of.

Basically, these mounds were built thousands of years ago by the tribes and people of these parts. There are several more scattered around the park...

Well, as much as one can "scatter" things like this.

...And they once covered huge chunks of Indiana. Why?

Well, archeologists have found that they aligned certain ways with astrologic things like changing sunsets, stars, etc. And in one mound they found a grave from hundreds of years later than when it was first built, and... um...

...They think they were "religious in nature."

Which I've come to recognize as the archeological equivalent of shrugging their shoulders noncommittally and going, "I dunno..."

So if better minds than mine (well, minds with more letters behind their name) can't solve it, then I won't try in a single blog post. So here's a bunch of pictures!

Pointy artifacts! Used for aggressively pointing out things!
(Like fish!)

The house of the farmers who got this land back before Indiana was a state.
...And awesomely decide to preserve the mounds.

That's the mound in the distance.

Inside the mound on the center "island."
Then there's a moat, then the mound.

The "moat" and mound.

Whatever they mean, they're certainly in a beautiful area. I was expecting a bunch of mounds and boring informative archeological plaques and displays...

...But found wonderful trails!

Rolling hills that probably
looked much better two weeks ago.

"I want a bridge and walkway!"
"Sir, it's only a small gully. People can-"
"Bridge and walkway!"

I'll end this post with the enjoyable little things I found at the visitor center itself.

There are turtles and snakes inside,
so it's not really a random turtle butt.

And lest we forget the charming "country-style" porch:

"Reckin' there's sum mounds out thar."
"Yerp."

And the neatest chess board I've ever seen.

Which occurs to me just now is probably mostly used for checkers.

Anyway, I had a fun time looking at old earthworks and pondering their purpose.

Because honestly, who the heck really knows what they were for?

I'm thinking: Skatepark.